Objectives: This study presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a culturally relevant and responsive approach to screening for perinatal depression in low-income, predominantly African American women. Method: The study details the development of the community-informed instrument and subsequent evaluation of its psychometric properties relative to one specific community sample (N = 139). Results: The initial validity and reliability testing of the community-informed instrument reveal a higher internal consistency than the standardized instrument alone (alpha = .87 vs. .80). Subsequent factor analysis and inter-item correlation suggest consistency between most of the community-informed and CES-D items. Conclusions: While limited in scope to the community sample, the study reflects the perceived benefit of integrating community voice to enhance culturally relevant and empirically rigorous practice.
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